Toto language
30-09-2023
12:00 PM
1 min read
Overview:
Recently, Toto Shabda Sangraha, a dictionary has been compiled to save a language from extinction.
About Toto language:
- It is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the tribal Toto people and is written in the Bengali script.
- A prominent community member Dhaniram Toto developed a script as recently as in 2015.
- It is spoken by barely 1,600 people living in parts of West Bengal bordering Bhutan.
Key facts about Toto Shabda Sangraha
- The dictionary has been compiled by Bhakta Toto, a bank employee-cum-poet, and published jointly by the trust and Bhasha Samsad
- The dictionary is a step in the direction of preserving the language, alive so far only orally, by putting its vocabulary in print.
- Toto words, to be translated into Bengali and English, will be composed in the Bengali script, considering that the Toto script is still in a nascent stage and members of the tribe are more familiar with the Bengali script.
Q1) What is Language?
Language is a system of communication used by humans and some animals to convey thoughts, ideas, emotions, and information. It is a complex and dynamic system that involves the use of sounds, words, and symbols to express meaning.